Philosophy of Mindfulness in Sustainability:Economic Goals and Personal Planning

Sustainability and the economy intermingle currently across several different platforms in day to day life, from energy consumption in wind and water to reusable bags at the grocery store. There are a variety of opportunities to invest positively into our Environment through current economic systems. However, it simply must be demanded by the consumers for systemic changes to take place. Some of the ways that individuals can invest and value the  environment through the current economic systems stem from government input and influence, from the intentions of producers, and finally through purchasing power. The last point of purchasing power is the most important as companies follow what is being purchased and why. When corporations follow trends, and listen to consumers, there are economic benefits. Monetary profit, development of customer loyalty, and long-term investment options are all ways that companies have thrived as sustainability has grown. Through a philosophy of mindfulness companies could benefit through systemic practices, consumers gain higher quality products, and the environment has a greater chance to recover from providing natural capital to provide raw materials. 

Under the comparison of the organization of the mind and economic profit goal the relationship towards sustainable resiliency lies within our long term understanding of the environmental identity that was quoted by World Wildlife foundation as being the key to creating sustainable behaviors. The foundation studied and researched “Meeting Environmental Challenges: [and] The Role of Human Identity.” From this example, it was demonstrated that the relationship between fostering sustainable behaviors through “the far-reaching changes in individual lifestyle choices that will be needed in order to meet today’s environmental challenges.” From the comparison to the individual the research supports a conscious decision in the mind to make lifestyle choices that will be demanded to create resiliency for sustainability as a systemic shift for dominant social paradigms. When shifted dominant social paradigms interact within the current economy, success is derived and perceived to come from the increasing numbers of sustainable companies that have resilience in the marketplace, such as Patagonia, Whole Foods, and Tesla. However, they are not the only ones participating in the sustainability trend, companies that previously thrived on pure capitalism are also expanding their range of products to include green and eco-friendly options, despite cost, because of the consumer’s demand for them. Fast Company self-proclaimed as, “the world’s leading progressive business media brand” quoted that “recent Millennial Pulse report found that when millennials trust a company’s social and environmental practices, 90% say they’ll buy from that brand, and 95% say they’ll recommend the products to their friends and family (largely via social media).” The future is positive for identity in environmental practices leading to society’s systemic shift towards sustainability, allowing it to remain within the marketplace. 

One of the largest producers Walmart followed consumer demand for environmentally friendly and healthy options through carrying Stoneyfield Organic Yogurt showcases the demand for sustainable options from the public influencing the economy. The decision by Wal-Mart to transition their market by the Stoneyfield CEO in an interview shows how much influence large companies can have over a market, especially for the organic yogurt company that is influencing market shifts. Gary Hirshberg, the CEO of the organic yogurt company describes “Wal-Mart gets a lot of credit for how much they’ve reinvented themselves. There are no more non-concentrated laundry detergents now, because Wal-Mart said simply, “We don’t want to spend our money to ship water across the country.” They changed the industry. And in the same way, Stonyfield is supporting 180,000 acres of chemical-free agriculture. Being able to say to farmers in the Central Valley of California, ‘If you do this, we’ll buy your stuff.’ That’s how you change the world.” Which is a positive sign of resiliency for sustainability because the company “experienced double-digit growth from 2000 to 2008, celebrated its 27th anniversary in April[2010].” 

Companies which understand the societal demand for environmentally friendly products that strive to be harmonious with nature in concept and design are crucial to our environmental health. With such large global problems there must be a community willing to participate in small steps to overcome such challenges. Small contributions towards sustainable companies create new markets and opportunities to integrate systemic mindfulness into company practices. A final word on going zero waste shows Subaru at the forefront of the market. “Thanks to suggestions from employees, Subaru reuses everything from auto part packaging to staff food scraps. On a net basis, its Indiana plant saves $1 to $2 million per year due to reduction and reuse — and Subaru has the best profit margin in the automotive industry.” Additionally, Baker Mckenzie, the world’s largest law firm, held a Renewable Energy Conference and stated that the rise in Corporate Purchasing Power Agreements were most likely to increase. They stated in the portfolio provided; “Sustainability is certainly rising up the agenda for some of the world’s largest corporates. A report from the non-profit sustainability organization Ceres found that 43 percent of the Fortune 500 companies have set targets relating to renewable energy procurement, energy efficiency or cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions” All of which points to the positive trajectory of systemic sustainability influencing positive resilience even under political threat.